Daddy Darling
by Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs
Summary: Sequel to 'Mommy Dearest'. Honor leaves the hospital, with Marshall taking mom and daughter home- and Mark learns what he's in for. Mary/Marshall friendship.


A/N: This is the sequel to 'Mommy Dearest'; I need some fluff because there was some not-great news from my work today. So, this has a bit more of Mary/Mark in it, but mostly focuses on the Mary/Marshall friendship, which I'm more than slightly in love with.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of IPS; I only picked Honor's name.

* * *

><p>Six weeks after she was born, Honor Shannon was off her ventilator and feeding tube, and was declared ready to go home.<p>

Mark had left ahead of her to prepare things at her house, and Marshall was with Mary, taking her and Honor home. Mary had spent time with her daughter, adjusting to the fact that she was a mom, and that the beautiful baby girl was hers.

She and Mark had slowly started to repair their relationship; while they were by no means together, they weren't rejecting the idea, and now that Mark knew about Honor, and Mary had decided to keep her, they both wanted to be there for their daughter.

Mary refused to dress her daughter in pink, or use anything that had the color pink in or on it, so Honor was dressed in a pale purple outfit, and her carseat was brown and white.

"Mary, ready?" Marshall asked, coming into the hospital room jingling his car keys in one hand, the other stuffed in the front pocket of his jeans.

"We're all set," Mary said, placing the carseat on her arm and throwing the diaper bag at Marshall. "You're the girl in this friendship, you hold the bag."

"You're the one who had a kid. I think I am no longer the woman," Marshall countered, and she rolled her eyes.

"In your dreams," she said, and he placed the bag on his shoulder, glaring at her as they walked out of the entrance. "Glaring won't change anything. Why can't I drive?"

"Because you're sitting with your daughter. And I don't trust you behind the wheel of a car," Marshall said, and she glared half-heartedly at him, before getting distracted by Honor, who was starting to whimper.

"You're going to have to be the center of attention, aren't you kid?" Mary asked, reaching down and brushing the infant's stomach gently with her fingertips, wiping at the tears in the corners of Honor's big, dark eyes. She quieted down when she got her mom's attention, grasping at the fingertips and trying to guide them into her mouth. "You are not getting my fingers covered in spit. You're cute, but not that cute."

She could practically hear Marshall smiling behind her, and she rolled her eyes.

"Do you have a comment, Marshall?" she asked, finally reaching the car and working on connecting Honor's carseat to its base.

"Just never seen you this wrapped around someone's finger before," he replied, and she turned and glared.

"I am going to kill you, and it's not going to be pretty," Mary said, and he raised an eyebrow. "Abigail is not going to find you attractive after I rip out your spleen."

"The spleen actually isn't necessary for survival," Marshall began, and Mary cut him off with a headshake.

"Just stop talking," she said, getting in the car and shutting her door. "Is Brandi meeting us there?"

"She said she would be there," Marshall said, and Mary sighed, looking out the window as he started to drive.

Since her sister's disaster of a wedding, she hadn't seen much of Brandi. She'd fled, but had come back after Jinx's frantic call when Mary had fallen into a coma after Honor's delivery. She hadn't talked to Peter yet, and was avoiding him at all costs.

But she needed Squish- she may be flighty, and not able to commit, but she was still her little sister, and Honor's aunt.

The rest of the car ride was uncharacteristically quiet- Mary either watched the dull landscape roll by, or watched her daughter's fascination with her hands.

Although Honor had been early, it appeared as though she was going to grow at a normal rate, she would just be a little bit smaller than the other kids her age. Her lungs had finished developing and her stomach had grown and expanded, and she was getting bigger and gaining weight at a consistent rate. Her blonde hair was still thin, but it would thicken as she got older, and her eyes were dark and large.

Mary let her daughter's small hands wrap around her pointer finger, the baby's skin pink and soft against hers, the nails tiny as they tapped against her finger. Honor made quiet gurgling noises in the back of her throat, cooing gently, and although she'd never admit it out loud- especially in front of Marshall- she found them endearing.

"Casa de Shannon," Marshall announced, and she looked up, the familiar vision of home in front of her. Mark's car was already there, and Mary felt relief at also seeing Brandi's car as well.

Getting out she pulled out Honor's carseat, watching as Marshall shouldered the diaper bag without a word, and she hide the small at her partner's help. She walked in the house, glad when she discovered there was no big surprise party- she hated surprises.

"Mary," Brandi said, and Mary let her sister hug her- it had been three weeks since she'd seen her sister. She could allow a moment of weakness.

"Hey Squish," Mary said, pulling back and looking at her sister. "You been doing okay on your own? Meet any new bad boys with motorcycles and skull tatoos?"

"I learned my lesson with those kinda guys, Mary," Brandi said, shaking her head, but her eyes glittered with amusement. "Where's my niece?"

"Go for it," Mary said, handing her the carrier. Brandi happily took her into the living room, and Mary went in search of something to eat.

Mark was in the kitchen pulling a pizza out of the oven, and her mouth watered.

"If that isn't for me I'm kicking you out of this house," she said, and he turned around with a bemused smile, setting the pizza on the counter to cool.

"It's for you," he replied, and she nodded.

"You can stay," she said, and he snorted.

"I'm glad. Where's Honor?" he asked, and she pointed to the living room.

"With Brandi and Marshall in the living room," she said, and he nodded.

"There's stuff to drink in the fridge, the pizza is still hot, and I'm going to go see my daughter," he said, and she saluted him.

"I wish you luck with that," she said, and he rolled his eyes, leaving her alone.

It still felt weird, to be in this house with Mark, with Honor. Mary Shannon had not expected to bring a child into this house- but she wasn't turning back now.

"I smell pizza."

Marshall appeared behind her, and she swatted his hand away when he reached for a slice.

"That is my pizza, and I did not give you permission to have a piece," she said, and he rolled his eyes, reaching around her.

"I drove you home. I deserve a reward," he said, and she snorted.

"Let me give you a Nobel Peace Prize," she said, and he laughed around his pizza.

"That won't be necessary- yet," he said, and she rolled her eyes. She grabbed her own slice of pizza and a can of lemonade before finding her way into the living room with Marshall, where Mark and Brandi were watching Honor in avid fascination.

Then the baby began to cry, and both Brandi and Marshall paled.

"That's my cue to leave," Marshall said, inching towards the door. "Talk to you later Mary."

"I gotta go too- bye," Brandi said, and before either Mary or Mark could react, they were out the door, letting it shut behind them.

"Some friends," Mary said, taking Honor and standing. "Don't break anything- I'll be back."

Half an hour later, Honor was asleep, and Mary was preparing to enter dreamland herself. Mark entered the bedroom and grabbed some clothes, changing in the bathroom before coming out, then going to leave the room.

"Mark, are you really going to sleep on the couch?" Mary asked, her words slightly slurred with sleep. "We had a kid, we were married. I think we're past the sharing a bed thing."

"Didn't know you wanted me here," Mark replied, and she sighed, closing her eyes again.

"Bed's a lot more comfortable than the couch, but you wanna be a masochist, be my guest," she said, and minutes later the bed dipped as he slid under the covers. "You touch me, however, and your life will not be pleasant."

"Course it won't," Mark replied, and she smacked him sleepily.

"Shut up."

Then, Honor cried, and she shoved him.

"It's your turn," she said, and he swallowed.

"Really?"

One look from her, and he knew what the answer was.

"I'm going," he said, and her next words hit him as he walking out of the bedroom.

"Daddy darling."


End file.
